23 August 2024

ASBEC commends the Australian Government for its move to set out a national approach to assessing the energy performance of homes and providing energy performance ratings and certificates to consumers at point of sale or lease. We note that this aligns with an existing policy recommendation from Every Building Counts, which calls for the Australian Government to, “Empower owners, buyers and renters with a single national rating for home energy performance.” A single, robust rating scheme consistently applied across the country would not only make it easier to compare the efficiency of homes, but would also create a market for better performing homes, whilst providing added consumer protection for buyers and tenants.

An effective residential disclosure scheme requires an overarching framework that makes it easy to compare the efficiency of homes, creates an incentive for building upgrades and provides added consumer protection for buyers and tenants. Disclosure is an important step towards understanding home energy performance, and ultimately to ensure Australia’s building stock is on a trajectory toward being climate resilient and net zero compatible by 2050. These changes will provide a national benchmark for healthy and affordable homes, ensuring equal opportunities for households.

Read our full submission here.